U.S. Presidential Election : Free Trade at risk

If I’m reading this editorial from the Journal of Commerce correctly, it won’t matter who is elected:

For his part, Obama has sent mixed messages. The Illinois senator repeatedly has said that he wants “change,” but that he also favors “free trade” — at least so long as any free trade agreements are structured to address environmental and labor issues. But many supporters of free trade fear that Obama is secretly eager to steer the U.S. economy toward protectionism at a time when further trade deregulation is critical for reviving the stagnant global economy.

Obama’s rhetorical support for ‘free trade’ rings hollow for these critics. So what if Obama says he supports trade? No one admits to being a ‘protectionist’ these days; that’s almost as bad as admitting you are a ‘racist.’

When Obama said during a Democratic primary debate with Hillary Clinton that he would demand the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, free traders cringed. Was Obama really serious? Was he only pandering to his trade unionist supporters? Shortly thereafter, Obama reportedly told senior Canadian officials that his comments about NAFTA were meant for political consumption in the U.S. The doubts, however, linger.

As for McCain, when it comes to economic issues, the Republican candidate looks very uncomfortable, and probably unconvincing to many voters undecided about the virtues of free trade. By McCain’s own admission, national security issues are his strong suit, not economics. Even if McCain were to win the White House, he’d have a hard time winning any battle for free trade in the next Congress, which will undoubtedly be controlled by the Democrats. Many Democrats in the House and Senate will be determined to oppose the Colombia and South Korea deals, especially if their candidate is defeated by McCain in a bitter presidential campaign.

More news that sucks.